FormLA Landscaping

Home Improvement Professionals , Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers
13 Reviews
Review me
FormLA Landscaping
13 Reviews

Authentic Foothill Gardens

The Authentic Foothill Gardens illustrate the authentic, lush and leafy, drought tolerant look of LA's foothills. By adopting the aesthetic, foothill residents can increase the resilience of Los Angeles by mitigating fire, flood and slide risks. This vibrant native foliage also attracts birds, butterflies, bees and wildlife. The garden has been featured on an international U.S. Green Building Council tour as well as LA;s iconic Native Plant Garden Tour.
Project Year: 2015
Country: United States
Zip Code: 91024
Others who worked on this project: Theodore Payne Foundation
Fragrant California native Pitchers Sage does not rely on her magical bell-like blooms to scent the air. Her true evergreen foliage does that work while contrasting beautifully with silver-green Wild Rye.
Pitchers Sage with Wild Rye
When placed near darker greens, Pitchers Sage foliage can also take on a silver hue.
Chaparral and Coastal Sage Garden
Tested by drought, California's trees provide ready tinder. Native trees have an advantage in adapting to drought and provide needed habitat. Emerald green, shade loving Red Fescue allows water to reach roots and gives tree roots room to grow.
Sycamore Tree Shaded Garden
A drought tolerant IdealMow lawn alternative, Red fescue saves approximately $3000 year per 1000 square feet over a traditional lawn. Its distinctive waves transform into an emerald green carpet when mowed.
Emerald Green Lawn Alternative
Festuca idahoensis ‘Tomales Bay’ is a second California native IdealMow lawn in the Authentic Foothill Gardens shade garden. It offers another distinctive aesthetic with all the same cost saving benefits.
Drought Tolerant Lawn Alternative
A decomposed granite walkway wanders the native garden. Edged by large natural stones, the path flows past sun-loving California natives and fragrant native sages that bloom throughout the year.
Natural Stone Edged Walkway
Delightfully crunchy decomposed granite hardscapes like this walkway ensure rainwater can seep into the ground. That replenishes groundwater tables in drought. It also absorbs and cleans runoff, preventing both flooding and ocean pollution.
Natural Stone Edged Walkway
Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri) is one of the most consistent California native blooming plants. Its yellow blooms and silver foliage delight year round, with its blooms all the more visible in fall as it has a little less competition.
Yellow Bloom with Silver Foliage
Deergrass, a California native accent grass, creates magical golden wands in fall. When trimmed back, it forms lovely true green mounds. It provides an excellent alternative to highly flammable and invasive plants like fountain grass.
Drought Tolerant Accent Grass
Bench Seating
California native Common Yarrow is a powerhouse. Not only will it serve as an IdealMow lawn alternative or bloom, it is both edible and medicinal!
White Common Yarrow Flowers
Common yarrow is a third IdealMow lawn alternative featured in the gardens. When mowed, it is light, feathery and soft. When left to grow, it produces delightful blooms.
Common Yarrow
Silver carpet (Lessingia) covers ground in sparkling silver foliage. In fall and winter, lovely daisy-like lilac colored blooms add to its beauty.
Silver Groundcover
Yet another California native that blooms in fall and winter, Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’ has distinctive, fiery-red blooms and mint-scented foliage.
Fire Red Flowers
Hedges containing Catalina Cherry have blooms in the spring. In fall, deep red edible cherries will fill their branches.
Catalina Cherry Hedge
California native Oregon Grape's holly-like leaves change color with the seasons. Edible grapes will follow these beautiful little yellow blooms. As a hedge, Oregon Grape creates a lovely privacy screen while increasing biodiversity.
Oregon Grape
This expansive, rock and riparian native-filled rain garden (aka bioswale) will drain quickly, refueling Sierra Madre's water independence.
Rock-Filled Rain Garden
Rainy season offers Angelenos an opportunity to refuel our groundwater table to increase our water independence. A second, expansive rain garden (aka bioswale) will drain quickly, even when filled to the brim. Photo: Chris Cimino, City of Sierra Madre
Rain Garden at Work
The IdealMow Meadow of native dune sedge that fills this bio cleans the water as it percolates, which it accomplishes quickly, leaving no standing water.
IdealMow Meadow-Filled Rain Garden
The IdealMow lawn alternative handles more than rain. It thrives in the high, dry heat of Sierra Madre summers and needs little supplemental water. The bridge traversing this bioswale divides a native edible garden with Catalina Cherry hedge from a wildlife garden with San Miguel Island Buckwheat.
Drought-Ready Rain Garden
San Miguel Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande rubescens) blooms are a favorite with birds, butterflies, and children! When not in bloom, the contrast between the true-green tops and silver-underside of its foliage continues to draw the eye.
Pom-Pom Pink Flowers
The second bioswale, also traversed by a bridge, is full of natural sone. California native poppies and wildflowers often pop through the rock, while White Sage, Brittlebush, and Hummingbird sage line its banks.
Rock Bioswale and Bridge
Edible, medicinal, and fragrant, White Sage (Salvia apiana) grows long wands of delicate white blooms from a base of silvery-blue leaves.
White Sage Flowers
The yellow blooms of Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) balance abundant purple blooms in spring and summer. In fall and winter, silver foliage contrasts with lush and leafy emerald greens.
Yellow Blooms and Silver Foliage